Cummins and Starc: Showmen of different stripes reunite at IPL summit

It started with when he had to pose like royalty alongside Rohit Sharma with the World Cup trophy in the middle in the historic stepwells of Adalaj, on the outskirts of Ahmedabad. Then came the pre-wedding-like modelling session with West Indian counterpart Kraigg Brathwaite on the iconic hill at the Adelaide Oval, the two Test captains even flipping their sun-glasses like teenagers in love.

On Saturday (May 25), Pat Cummins was involved with his latest photoshoot, probably the most elaborate of them all. There he was on side-by-side with Shreyas Iyer and the IPL trophy next to a merry-go-round at Marina Beach. Before standing proudly with his arm over an auto-rickshaw like he was Rajnikanth reprising his Autokaran role while Iyer watched on from the front-seat. To Cummins' credit, he's somehow managed to make all of them poses work. Very matter-of-factly and without any fuss. And his run as Sunrisers Hyderabad captain in 2024 has been a whirlwind ride both on and off the field as he's gone about winning over the people and fans of Hyderabad with equally matter-of-fact precision and lack of fuss.

Mitchell Starc is not one for much posing. Though as much a professional as his fellow Australian fast bowler when it comes to his on-field performances, the left-arm quick has never been the most natural at putting himself in more unnatural settings off the field for promotional purposes. Not being captain surely has helped with avoiding the constant limelight away from the cricket field unlike what Cummins has to deal with.

But there was no way the 34-year-old was going to get away with not having the spotlight shone on him the brightest on the field, especially after his record-breaking Rs 24.75 crore price-tagat the IPL auction. Not to forget the fact that this was his return to the glitzy league after a nine-year hiatus.

The only standout image of note from Starc's comeback season in the IPL to date you'd say was that of him exploding into an almighty roar after knocking out Gerald Coetzee's stumps in his spell of 4/33 against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on May 4. That was also his first real display of emotion in Kolkata Knight Riders' colours, and his first performance of any significance.

As it turns out, both Cummins and Starc will get a chance later tonight (May 26) to strike an indelible pose with the diamond-encrusted (as reported by the Sunrisers captain himself on Marina Beach in the social media clip with Iyer) IPL trophy at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai.

Their respective rides to the grand final, on an individual front, in many ways have been as contrasting as the pace duo getting their multi-million IPL deals in the first place.

It's safe to say that whether Starc has indeed justified the lofty purchasing fee so far is rather subjective. While it wasn't an easy start, as has been well-publicised over the last month-and-a-half, the New South Welshman has started to find his wicket-taking rhythm in recent weeks. Some might say he was worth that amount simply for the match-winning burst with the new-ball that gave him the Player of the Match award in Kolkata Knight Riders' Qualifier win over the Sunrisers last week. What we have not seen from KKR at any stage through the season is even a tinge of buyer's remorse, and if anything, they've backed Starc to the hilt.

They say in pro-wrestling that if you want to make someone a star, give them the star treatment first. And Starc has been accorded that, even during the lean phases at the start of the season. Whether it's giving only limited public exposure to their big-buy in terms of off-field promotions or even the one clip on Instagram which has Starc in full flight with ball in hand with the legendary opening riff to AC DC's Highway to Hell playing in the background.

Like Starc, who's got 15 wickets at 28.66 and an economy of 11.07 in 13 outings, Cummins, with 17 wickets at 32.23 and an economy of 9.28, hasn't really set the tournament alight with the ball.

But still, it's a lot more obvious as to the impact that Cummins has had in Hyderabad. Not in the least, taking last season's wooden spooners to No 2 in the table at the end of the league stage, followed up by a knockout win against Rajasthan Royals to give the Sunrisers a place in the final. He's also brought a calming effect to an otherwise volatile franchise, who've had a number of changes at the top over the years, in terms of both captaincy and the coaching staff. Like he has with the Australian team, he's also created an environment within the dressing-room that allows different characters to be themselves and add to the variety rather than shy away from it. And that's enabled both local and foreign players alike to flourish while never taking away from their inherent approach to batting and bowling.

Cummins has also chipped in with some very crucial individual overs at vital stages to close out games or to turn matches around. Through it all, he's also won over Hyderabad in a very different fashion to which his compatriot, David Warner, had done here as captain when the Sunrisers last made an IPL final, which they won for the record.

Go back to the IPL auction in December, and it was Cummins being picked for a handsome sum that seemed more like a punt. To start with, the Australian Test and ODI captain was also making a return to the IPL after having skipped last season. His last few IPL outings hadn't been the most noteworthy, with the ball in particular, and despite all the success he'd achieved in the other two formats for Australia, he wasn't quite T20 royalty. In addition to having never captained any team in a T20 match.

The Sunrisers management, meanwhile, had talked up the incumbent, Aiden Markram's leadership skills, especially in the wake of the South African having led the franchise to back-to-back trophy wins in the SA20 league.

But after having finished bottom last year, what the Hyderabad team wanted was a leader. And once it was clear that Cummins was available, it seemed like only common sense that they'd throw the bank at the man who'd less than a month earlier led his country to 50-over World Cup glory on Indian soil. A masterstroke in hindsight.

Starc, on the other hand, had only played 40 T20s in all over a nine-year period since his last appearance in the IPL. Most of them for Australia, including three T20 World Cups. He'd even lost his place in the side towards the end of the disappointing home campaign in the 2022 edition of the World Cup. But he was still white-ball royalty. And not many were surprised when KKR were prepared to bid literally every bit of their auction purse for the left-arm superstar. If they do go all the way on Sunday night to win their third title, it might well be a masterstroke in hindsight as well.

The auction and the final bookend every season of the IPL. Cummins and Starc were the headline stealers on auction day and five months later, they are poised to be the headline stealers on the night of the final as well. And maybe even Starc might not mind a pose or two if it ends up being him.